From the 101st floor of a Hudson Yards skyscraper, Nick Cucci, the Recording Academy's Senior Executive Director of the New York Chapter, made a proclamation. Sure, their Chapter Nominee Celebration happens every year, ahead of Music's Biggest Night. But at least one thing differentiated this edition of the annual party:
"This is the highest nominee celebration that's ever existed," he said.
Which, of course, was a reference to the panoramic view at Edge at Hudson Yards, the highest outdoor sky deck in the Western Hemisphere and the event's Presenting Partner. But at the 2024 Chapter Nominee Celebration, the caliber of talent, and company was also incredibly lofty.
As cocktail-attired guests made their way to the skydeck, they were faced with some of music's best and brightest — either nominated at the 2024 GRAMMYs, in past ceremonies, or at the Latin GRAMMYs. Some attendees were simply present to cheer on those up for golden gramophones on Feb. 4.
*The skydeck at Edge at Hudson Yards. Photo: Johnny Nunez via Getty Images*
GRAMMY.com's first step-and-repeat encounter was with jazz pianist, composer, and producer Alex Brown, who's currently up for a GRAMMY for Passion for Bach and Coltrane, a collaborative album with Imani Winds, the Harlem Quartet, poet A.B. Spellman, and more.
"I think it's a cool category that we're part of," Brown tells GRAMMY.com of the Best Classical Compendium Category. He goes on to highlight the Academy's inclusion of disparate sounds and fusions throughout the 2024 GRAMMYs nominations — and every year's.
"The piece that we played is an interesting mix of poetry and classical music and jazz; it's a really interesting combination," Brown says. "I think it's great that the Academy has a category that recognizes that kind of project."
That said, the Academy has a long road ahead, as always; its pursuit of inclusivity in all its forms never sleeps. "I think across the board, we want to see more of everything," says Bryan Carter, who's up for a GRAMMY for Best Musical Theater Album for his work on "Some Like It Hot." "I hope there's more education for jazz, and for theater, and different forms of music."
*Jerry Wonda. Photo: Johnny Nunez via Getty Images*
At the 2024 GRAMMYs, GRAMMY-winning vocalist and composer Arooj Aftab is up for Best Alternative Jazz Album for Love in Exile, her 2023 collaborative album with pianist Vijay Iyer and bassist and multi-instrumentalist Shahzad Ismaily.
The new Best Alternative Jazz Album Category represents jazz that makes inroads into other genres, often to the point that jazziness becomes something else. Commensurately ethereal, meditative and dramatic, Love in Exile might appeal to a niche slice of the listening public.
Which is what makes this nomination even sweeter. "I think that what we put out was these long-format, kind of daring, bold scenes of feelings, and the Recording Academy totally got it," Aftab says with a smile. "And I think that's awesome."
Like Aftab, fellow GRAMMY nominee Ben Wendel — a jazz saxophonist of Kneebody fame — is easygoing amid the industry mania that surrounds GRAMMY season. He's up for Best Contemporary Instrumental Album at the 2024 GRAMMYs, for last year's All One.
"Emotionally, I'm good, man," Wendel says. "I feel overwhelmed by events like this, to be honest. So I don't even know what I'm going to feel like at the GRAMMY Awards themselves, but I'm sure it's going to be even more next-level."
Read More: How Ben Wendel's All One — A Locked-Down Sax-And-Bassoon Exploration — Was Nominated For A GRAMMY
Nicole Zuraitis, however, is feeling the heat, so close to the ceremony. The jazz vocalist is nominated for Best Jazz Vocal Album for How Love Begins, produced by bassist extraordinaire Christian McBride.
"I'm generally in a state of either tears or hysteria or laughter," she says. "Right now, it's really peaked."
@grammys The city never ✨SHINED ✨ so bright. The New York Chapter Nominee Celebration was incredible! Thank you to @Mastercard as the Platinum Partner, and also thank you to the @EdgeNYC as the Presenting Sponsor. Don’t miss the 2024 #GRAMMYs on Sunday, Feb. 4th on @CBS.
After the crowd spilled into an adjacent ballroom to indulge in delicious snacks and an open bar, a small handful of Academy heavyweights took to the mic: Cucci, New York Chapter President Torae Carr and Chief Awards & Industry Officer Ruby Marchand.
"All of the years that you put in, all of those sweatless, sleepless nights in the studio or creating or writing or playing or whatever it is that you do," Carr said, "this is to let you know that we see you and we hear you and we feel you.
"And dammit, when we get out to LA," he added, "we're going to turn up and party, yes?" On a more serious note, Carr noted that "The nomination is a win in itself. To be able to do what you love each and every day is a win in itself."
Marchand, a New Yorker born in the Bronx, took the stage for final remarks — and they had poignancy based on her background in the Big Apple. "It's such an exciting moment to look out in this room, because we have over 200 nominees from New York," she stated. "Congratulations, congratulations."
"We're here to honor music; we're here to honor excellence," Marchand added. Obviously, that comes from all over the planet, as the GRAMMY nominations prove every single year.
But everyone knows that the music that flows from New York is something special. And to rub shoulders and break bread with those who've scaled these heights? It's a distinct privilege.
2024 GRAMMY Nominations: See The Full Nominees List
This year's presenting partner was Edge at Hudson Yards, and the platinum event partner was Mastercard. The Annual New York Chapter partners include Concord, Great South Bay Music Group, Sound Royalties, The Orchard, and The Mechanical Licensing Collective. Levain Bakery was the official cookie partner for the New York Nominee Celebration.